Tag Archives: Acorn TV

Have you ever been at a loss as to what to watch? Too many shows to pick from? We’re here to give you our opinions on what we feel is worth watching. Check it out and then let us know in the comments below what you’re choosing for tonight!

Kyle’s Choice

Today, the BBC comedy Asylum makes its US debut via the Acorn TV streaming service. The series takes the hypothetical situation of what would it be like if Julian Assange and Kim Dotcom were roommates while living in asylum in a foreign embassy. Dan Hern (Ben Miller, Death in Paradise, The Worst Week of My Life) is a whistleblower who leaked the CIA’s torture manual online for the public to see. For the past year, he has been living in asylum in the London embassy of the Latin American nation of the Democratic Republic of El Rico. While the U.S. government and MI6 are still constantly plotting ways to lure Hern out of the building to be arrested/executed for treason, Ambassador Castillo (Darrell D’Silva, Game of Thrones) is afraid that Hern’s celebrity has faded. So Castillo has his children, Rafael (Kayvan Novak, Thunderbirds Are Go) & Rosa (Yasmine Akram, Sherlock) find a fresh new face to offer asylum to in order to get their country back in the news. Enter the loud, obnoxious, but kind-hearted Ludo Backslash (Dustin Demri-Burns), a hacker responsible for releasing thousands of pirated films across the internet. Hern and his new roommate couldn’t be any more different, and comedy ensues.

The series also stars Niky Wardley (The Catherine Tate Show) as Hern’s extremely incompetent lawyer, Lorna, and John Guerrasio as embassy employee Mo, who’s constantly trying to make Hern feel as unwelcome as possible. There’s also a hilarious guest appearance by David Cross (Arrested Development) in the second episode. The series originally aired almost two years ago in the UK, and only 3 episodes were ever produced. However, there are some really fun character dynamics and situations in these three episodes that could have easily led to even more fun episodes. In addition to the odd couple-like roommate comedy, there’s plots involving MI6 trying to catfish Hern, the search for a mole in the embassy, El Rico desperately trying to make a bid to host the World Cup, and more.

If you already subscribe to Acorn TV, this series is worth checking out. Or if you’ve been curious about the streaming service, this series is another reason to check out a free trial. Head to acorn.tv for more details on the service, which is available as a standalone app on Roku, Apple TV, iOS, etc. and as an over-the-top add-on to Amazon Prime.